


For When You Fly Beyond My Reach

by Raberba girl (Raberba_girl)



Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU, Titans (TV 2018)
Genre: Dad Bruce Wayne, Don’t copy to another site, Father-Son Relationship, Gen, Minor proofreading we have a brush with death like mne, Offscreen Dick Grayson, POV Bruce Wayne, Unhappy Ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-18
Updated: 2019-01-18
Packaged: 2019-10-12 00:54:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,249
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17457542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Raberba_girl/pseuds/Raberba%20girl
Summary: Bruce keeps an eye on his Robins' trackers.





	For When You Fly Beyond My Reach

For When You Fly Beyond My Reach

(rough draft)

A Titans fanfic by Raberba girl

 

Summary: Bruce keeps an eye on his Robins' trackers.

 

o.o.o

 

Bruce spent far longer than he should have watching two stationary dots on a screen, but he couldn't help it. Knowing that the blue dot was Dick and the red one was Jason, seeing them _together_ for the first time...wondering what they were saying to each other, if they liked each other, worrying how Dick would react to the bad news, wishing he could have gone himself, lamenting whatever he had done wrong to ruin his chances of a favorable reception.... With all the thoughts rushing through his head at the sight of those two little dots, it was a long time before he could tear his eyes away.

 

He finally managed it, though. There was work to be done, both of his Robins could take care of themselves, and Jason would call if he was in trouble. Dick wouldn't call, but Bruce would still know. If he looked away for a moment, for an hour or two, it would be all right.

 

He kept checking periodically, making it an exercise in self-control to allow himself five seconds before putting the phone away and returning to his work. The boys - young men - were fine. Still together, so neither of them had driven off the other yet; that was good. They were in one of the safehouses. No new bodies matching the Melting Man's MO had turned up, everything was fine.

 

Bruce went about his day, took a nap, went on patrol. It was after he had returned home and showered, while he was taking a break from typing up the night's report, that he checked the tracker program again and received a jolt.

 

Jason was on his way back to Gotham.

 

_Dick was still with him._

 

Bruce stared at the screen in disbelief, hope slowly rising up within him. Jason was just a couple of miles away from the city limits, and _Dick was with him_ , trackers so close together the two dots almost looked like one. They were in the same vehicle. _'Dick is coming home.'_

 

Bruce was just lowering his thumb to Alfred's speed-dial number when he remembered that the man was preparing for bed, if he wasn't asleep already. Bruce texted instead.

 

The response came a minute later: _I see I shall have to change the menu for tomorrow's supper._

 

Bruce smiled to see it. Maybe Dick would stay longer than planned if he was enticed by his favorite meals and guilt-tripped by the effort Alfred would put into them.

 

Although Bruce had been weary and longing for bed just minutes before, now he felt buzzing with energy, so he went to Dick's bedroom. Alfred would freshen it up tomorrow, but Bruce could add some personal touches to make it as welcoming as possible for its intended occupant. He set Zitka on the bed and wiped dust from the Flying Graysons poster on the wall, then made sure the lightbulb worked in the circus-themed lamp that had once helped chase away young Dick's nightmares.

 

_'Dick is coming home, Dick is coming home, Dick is coming home....'_

 

It had been so long. Bruce had thought he might never see Dick again, that the boy - man - might never forgive him. He'd...he realized now that he had jumped at the chance to take in Jason and train him as Robin in order to fill a hole in his life, to fill the manor's silence with a boy's bright voice again. Yet instead of filling that void, Jason had created his own space. Bruce cared for the boy and couldn't imagine the manor without him, but the first void was still there. Jason was an addition, not a replacement.

 

Dick's loss still hovered in the mansion's halls as much as the absence of Thomas and Martha did, but now at last, at _last_ , Dick's place would be filled again. Bruce's living family would once more be whole. Maybe--

 

...Well, perhaps it was too much to hope that Bruce could repair his relationship with Dick, but he could at least try to show his first ward that the manor wasn't _bad_. That perhaps visits every few weeks or so might not be unpleasant after all. Maybe he could give Dick a new Porsche to replace the old one, if he could figure out how to gift it without Dick perceiving it as a bribe.

 

Bruce couldn't stop his imagination from spinning out ridiculous fantasies, scenarios like Dick moving back into the manor or Batman flying out with two Robins every night or Dick calling him 'Dad' like Jason had tentatively started doing sometimes, things Bruce knew would never, ever happen. Simple visits would be enough. Just seeing Dick again, keeping the inevitable arguments low-key, reassuring himself in person that Dick was alive and safe and well, _maybe_ watching the boys tease each other and wrestle and hang out like brothers....

 

Those would be enough, but his foolish brain wouldn't stop with the happily-ever-after fantasies, so after he was done in the bedroom, he went back down to the Cave. He occupied himself in the training area until, at nearly five in the morning, Robin came blazing in on his cycle.

 

Bruce approached to greet him, trying not to seem too eager, eyes roaming in search of a second passenger or a second vehicle and finding neither. Maybe Dick was lagging behind for some reason? But no, with how close the trackers were, Dick should have been _right there_ , yet there was no sign of him--

 

Bruce realized the truth, his heart plummeting, just as Jason pulled off his helmet and complained, "Should've known Dick Grayson would be an _actual_ dick, no wonder you fired him."

 

"I didn't--" Bruce started automatically, not knowing or caring what he was saying. It shouldn't hurt this much. It was a simple misunderstanding, he'd survived far worse traumas; he shouldn't feel so _crushed_ just because--

 

"Caught the guy," Jason added, peeling off his mask. "Saved Boy Wonder's life a few times, too, not that he ever thanked me. Robin 2.0 really is the new and improved model."

 

And now Bruce's breath was coming just slightly faster than usual, because the disappointment and grief were giving way to worry and uncertainty. If the tracker was _here_ , that meant...that meant he no longer had eyes on Dick. That meant he no longer knew if Dick was safe, if he was even alive. For all Bruce knew, his first Robin could be in danger, hurt, bleeding out, _dying_ , and Bruce wouldn't even _know_ until it was too--

 

"By the way." Jason tossed what he had just dug out of a utility belt compartment; Bruce caught it by reflex. "Total overreaction. I wouldn't've said anything if I'd known he was gonna _slice it out of his freaking arm_."

 

Bruce stared at the tiny silver speck in his palm as if it was the only thing he had left of his eldest son: a link that was now severed and useless.

 

o.o.o

 

A/N: This is what I thought of as soon as I saw Dick handing his tracker to Jason.

 

I love and usually write happy family fluff, or angst with happy endings. This is one of my rare stories that...does not fit the pattern. I have no idea why I felt inspired to write this.


End file.
